P1: Quterlimits Turkish GP summary

1st Place for ...

1st Place for #77 Lucas Oil Outerlimits Round 3

Powerboat P1 launched the first Turkish Grand Prix of the Sea for a
thrilling weekend of racing spanning two continents on the Bosphorus
River in Istanbul. The Bosphorus is a strait that connects the Black Sea
with the Mediterranean Sea, forming the boundary between the European and
Asian parts of Turkey. To bring about this premier debut event, the P1
management pulled off a huge feat in closing commercial shipping traffic
on the Bosphorus during races on Saturday and Sunday.

The #77 Lucas Oil Outerlimits jumped into the official PowerPole racing
competition on Friday, zooming to first place by just tenths of a second
over the #88 SNAV Outerlimits. Close on the wake of the pair of
Outerlimits boats, the #10 Smash Poker Cigarette actually recorded a
higher top speed according to P1 telemetry. But it lost out to the
Outerlimits hulls which ran so smoothly across the surface of the choppy
waters that they were able to hold a higher consistent speed.

Although Saturday's Sprint race started amid some confusion over
the start procedure, the two Outerlimits boats charged to an early lead.
The #77 Lucas Oil Outerlimits sustained its commanding front position all
the way to the checkered flag, with the new #33 Furnibo Fountain taking
second, and the #10 Smash Poker Cigarette rounding out the podium.

Sunday's Endurance race started in mostly flat seas as Luca Fendi
of the Italian #10 Cigarette took the jump on the start, with the #77
Lucas Oil pushing their transom and holding at bay constant challenges
from the Belgium Fountain #33 Furnibo. The Italian #53 Metamarine Pignolo
followed, comfortably ahead of the British #47 Silverline. P1 indicated
that the #77 Lucas Oil Outerlimits was just two hundred meters short of
finishing the race for points when a ten dollar part failed. Operating
its support on a ten hour time difference from home base on the other
side of the planet took its toll on the only American team.